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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26451391">Saved</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/yayashoy/pseuds/yayashoy'>yayashoy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:29:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,004</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26451391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/yayashoy/pseuds/yayashoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would have happend if they met before the world ended?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Carol</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Trying to write some things out<br/>Just having fun with it! Would love feedback :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She couldn’t find her car keys. They weren’t on the coffee table in the living room, not on the kitchen counter, not in her coat pockets and not in her purse. She needed to find them. She had to drop Sophia off at school and get to work before 9, and she couldn’t do it if she couldn't find her keys. She could always ask for the spare, but it would most likely not end well for her.</p><p>“What are you doing running around the house like that? What did you fuck up again?” Ed asked from behind his coffee cup at the kitchen table. </p><p>Fuck. He noticed. And clearly he wasn’t in a good mood. He was almost never in a good mood, but usually he was calmer in the mornings, concentrating on going to work and leaving the home on time. </p><p>“Nothing. Just cleaning.” She stopped moving and turned towards the sink, anxiously rinsing plates to look busy. He looked at her suspiciously but kept on drinking his coffee. </p><p>She just had to get him out of the house. Then she could deal with this. She could look around the bedroom and the dining room. She could call Sophia’s school and tell them she’d be late. Worst case she’d order a taxi to get there but she couldn’t do any of that with him in the house. She couldn’t risk it. </p><p>“I’m leaving. Give me my things” she heard from behind her. She didn’t even hear him come up. She needed to calm down and concentrate. He was almost out the door. She had to act normal till them.</p><p>She grabbed his coffee from him and put it in the sink. She then put his lunch in his bag and walked behind him to the door. As he was putting his boots on, she grabbed his jacket and handed it to him. This was it. He was leaving, finally.</p><p>He grabbed his things, but before leaving, he grabbed her upper arm and squeezed. Tight. </p><p>“I don’t know what’s gotten into you this morning but you better figure it out. I work hard all day and don’t need to deal with your shit. You’re already a fucking mess most days I don’t need you to act worst.” he said as he tightened his grip. She could feel his fingers digging deep in her arm. She already knew it would bruise, but she knew better than to show how much it hurt. It’d only get him more riled up. </p><p>She gave him a smile. If she acted like everything was fine, it would be. That’s what worked for them. If she did nothing wrong, nothing bad would happen. And if she did do something wrong, like lose her damn car keys, nothing bad would happen if she could fix the problem on her own. He was right, she was a mess. But she was also good at fixing her messes. Especially if it meant Sophia didn’t have to see her hurt. If she could do one thing right in this world, it was protect her daughter. </p><p>Ed let go of her and left the house. She let out a sigh of relief, straightened her cardigan and went back to looking for her keys. She could do this. </p><p>____</p><p>“Bye sweetheart, I love you so, so, so much. Have a great day at school” She kissed her daughter on the forehead and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear</p><p>“Bye mom! I love you too” Sophia said, smiling and showing off her missing two front teeth. She got out of the car and ran to meet her friends in the school yard. She was growing up so fast. Already in 2nd grade, she was going to turn 8 this year. Carol was always scared she would grow up shy and drawn in because of how it was at home, but she was such a kind and generous kid. She truly was her pride and joy. </p><p>She put the car back into drive and started going towards work. She worked part time at the library, mostly stacking books back in the shelves and organising things. She had started there about 3 years ago, when Sophia started school. She convinced Ed it would give them more money and help him take care of the bills. She got a black eye and a dislocated shoulder for assuming he needed help. But he eventually agreed, mostly using the extra income for alcohol and useless hobbies. As long as it didn’t interfere with her housework and dinner was on the table by 6. And it gave her more time on her own. At work, she was free. Maybe it was selfish, but she felt good. </p><p>Ed made sure that all her income went into his account so she didn’t get to use the money. But maybe, one day, if she left him… If she had the courage, maybe she’d have what it takes to work and get enough money to give Sophia the life she deserves. Maybe one day. </p><p>“Hey Peter” She greeted her coworker “Sorry I’m running late this morning, hope you didn’t struggle too much without me” </p><p>Peter was a mild mannered mid-seventies man that refused to stop working. He mostly worked alone before she got hired, but he was starting to struggle with the more physical aspects of the job. That’s where she came in. She was the brawns and he was the brain.

“Good morning Carol, don’t worry about it. I remember how it was to have young kids. Always finding ways to make you late” he laughed lightly. “We got 2 boxes of returns today. And some kid thought it would be funny to put religion texts in the fiction section so we have to reorganise that”</p><p>“I’m on it.”</p><p>Carol dropped her things behind the counter and went on to do her tasks. Easy, repetitive tasks, she was good at this.</p><p>____</p><p>It was 4pm and Carol just got home with Sophia. Her daughter told her all about her day at school on the ride back home and was now eating some snacks while watching her cartoons on the TV. She had a good day, played new games with her friends and learned new words. Carol was proud of her and she couldn't help but smile at her cheerful nature. All things considered, after this morning’s mishap, Carol also had a good day. She didn’t have too much to do at work, she talked to a couple of nice people and now she’s even early in her preparations for supper. </p><p>She got lost in her task, cutting, peeling and roasting veggies, seasoning the meat and making a nice hearty supper. She was good at cooking. Maybe in another life, she would’ve been a chef. She used to want to start a business when she was in college. Had dreams of finishing her degree in marketing and opening a little shop with a friend. But she met Ed. She fell in love, and wanted to be a good wife. She quit college and started to take care of her husband. He didn’t want her to have distractions and neglect their marriage. She agreed with him. Who wouldn’t be grateful to have a working husband that makes enough money to support both of them? </p><p>It was now 6pm and Ed wasn’t home yet. Dinner was on the table, hot and ready for him. He hadn’t called to say he was late, but he rarely did. Carol hated it. If he was just running late, she had to wait for him to eat. But if he actually went out with buddies after work, he would be home back late.</p><p>She waited another 20 minutes before calling Sophia in. At least she could eat. Carol would just have to wait a little longer just in case Ed came back soon. </p><p>“It’s really good, mama. Thank you” Sophia said as she dug in.</p><p>Sophia finished her supper and Carol went with her upstairs to help her with homework. Around 8pm, she tucked her in bed with a story and a goodnight kiss. Then, Carol went downstairs and started to put away all the food and dishes. Ed’s plate was still wrapped up in the oven waiting for him. At this time it was safe to say he wasn’t coming home early and was probably eating (or drinking) out with friends.</p><p>She busied herself with cleaning and prepping lunches for the next day when she heard a car in the driveway. It was now past 11pm and Ed was finally coming home. She felt her heart rate pick up. She never knew how he would act after a night out drinking.</p><p>“Aren’t you gonna come help me out?” he screamed after opening the door</p><p>“Of course, honey, wait a second” she said, hurrying over to his side.</p><p>“You useless bitch, hurry up”</p><p>He was trying to get out of his coat and was clearly stuck and unsuccessful in his attempt. She tried to help him but he kept jerking his arms around.  By the time he was out of his coat and boots, he was red in the face and clearly agitated. He pushed her aside and went to the kitchen.</p><p>“Well get me some water. What the fuck are you waiting for, I ain’t gonna do it myself” </p><p>Carol acted quickly, filling a cup with fresh water and giving it to him. Clearly he wasn’t feeling patient tonight. Hopefully he’d fall asleep soon.</p><p>“Aren’t you going to ask me about my day?” he slurred.</p><p>“How was it, Ed?”</p><p>“Well it was shit. But I gotta work so your dumb ass and that daughter of yours can eat and have a roof over your heads. And you ain’t even grateful about it”</p><p>“Ed, you know I’m grateful for every..”</p><p>“Shut up and stop whining. Do you ever do anything but talk? ”</p><p>She knew better than to answer him. She just looked at the floor in shame. </p><p>“Where’s the kid? She sleeping?”</p><p>“Yes, it’s a school night”</p><p>He looked at her with a frown before starting to head up the stairs. He was stumbling all over the place and holding on to the railing. He was clearly heading to Sophia’s bedroom. Carol couldn’t let him get there. Who knows what he would do after a drink. Sophia didn’t need to see her father that way. </p><p>Carol grabbed his arm by the top of the stairs. “Ed, please. She’s sleeping.”</p><p>He looked at her like she had grown a second head. “What did you just say to me?”</p><p>“She’s sleeping. She has school tomorrow. Please let her sleep, you can talk to her tomorrow morning if you want.” Carol pleaded</p><p>“Are you trying to tell me what to do? You think I don’t know how to treat my daughter?”</p><p>“No Ed, you drank and I just didn’t want you to wake her up”</p><p>“How dare you talk back to me you stupid bitch”</p><p>Before she could answer, he pulled her to the upstairs landing by her arm and threw her on the floor. She landed hard on her shoulder and tried to hold in a cry of pain. She pushed herself to her hands and knees but before she could stand up, Ed put his feet on her ribs and pushed her back down. Hard. She couldn’t breathe for a second and was gasping for air. All she felt was the searing pain in her ribs. </p><p>Ed crouched down next to her and took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him.</p><p>“What did I tell you about disrespecting me?”</p><p>“I’m sorry Ed I didn’t mean it, it won’t happen again, I’m sorry” </p><p>She was still gasping and she could feel tears starting to fall. She should be used to this by now. She shouldn’t be crying. She didn’t even break anything or bleed. </p><p>“Good. I’m going to bed. You better not wake me up”</p><p>Ed left her in the middle of the corridor, lying on the floor. She saw him get into their bedroom, take off his pants and lie down on the bed. She waited a couple minutes, not daring to move. Only when he started snoring did she get up. She knew better than to disturb him after a beating. She knew better than to talk back to him. </p><p>Carol went to Sophia’s bedroom door and opened it slightly. Sophia was spread wide on her bed, half covered by her blanket, clearly deep asleep. Carol was so grateful she didn’t wake up. Any beating was worth it if it meant her little angel got to sleep peacefully, safe in her bedroom.<br/>

After looking at her daughter for a bit longer, Carol slowly made her way down the hall to the bathroom, where she stripped. Her body was covered in scars, old and new, and she felt repulsed by looking at it. She hated looking at herself in the mirror, but she needed to check her injuries. She could see bruises starting to bloom on her ribs and arm. Her shoulder felt stiff and hurt but everything seemed to be in place. She got lucky tonight. It could’ve gotten worse. She’s gotten it worse many times before for less. </p><p>She felt the tears coming up to her eyes again and running down her cheeks. She was weak. She wasn’t able to please her husband, she wasn’t able to leave him and make it on her own. She felt worthless. She felt stuck. </p><p>Carol took a deep breath and told herself to stop crying. </p><p>“It was just a bad day” she whispered “it’ll get better tomorrow”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Daryl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daryl woke up before his alarm, as he usually did. The sun was normally enough for him to wake up, regardless of when he went to sleep. He kept an alarm on just in case. He was starting a new job today and didn’t want to screw it up. He needed the money.</p>
<p>He tried to stretch his back before getting up, knowing it was going to hurt. He was getting old and sleeping on the couch every night wasn’t ideal. He didn’t really have a choice, though. They only had one bed and Merle kept it filthy with all the whores and junkies that he brought back home with him most days. No way Daryl was even going near the thing. Even if it meant his back suffered. Hopefully this job would turn into a permanent gig and he’d be able to afford an apartment with two bedrooms. Or even better, an apartment without his jackass brother. </p>
<p>He got up from the couch with a groan. He stretched his back and felt it pop a few times. That seemed to relieve a bit of the tension but he definitely could use a hot shower. For his back, but also to clean himself up and make a good impression on his first day at work. Couldn’t be too safe. Who knew, maybe his new boss was some kind of clean freak.  </p>
<p>Daryl stepped over his brother’s old dirty clothes lying all over the floor, and made his way towards the bathroom. He made sure the door was locked properly before quickly getting his shirt and boxers off and hopping in the shower. The feeling of hot water running down his body felt great for a second and he let himself relax a little bit. He soaped up his body and rinsed it before trying to untangle his hair. It was getting long. He needed a haircut. Maybe after his first paycheck, after paying the bills, after fixing up his truck a little bit, maybe after looking for a new apartment.. Maybe then he’d get the time and money for a proper haircut. Or he’d get tired of it falling into his eyes and chop it off with the nearest sharp object. Whatever came first. </p>
<p>Daryl finished his shower and dried himself before stepping out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He didn’t want his brother to see him undressed, but this early in the morning, there was no way Merle would be up and about. He took his time looking around for a clean shirt, finally settling on a grey t-shirt with no tear or stains that smelled pretty decent and a dark pair of jeans. He grabbed some pop tarts from the kitchen counter, knowing there wasn’t any food in the fridge. He’d have to grab lunch somewhere and go to the grocery store after work.</p>
<p>After lacing up his well used boots, he went out and sat on the front steps of their shitty trailer park rental home. He still had a couple of minutes to kill before heading into work. He lit up a cigarette and enjoyed the silence surrounding him. Today was going to be a good day. </p>
<p>____</p>
<p>Daryl had to ride two towns over to get to the shop where he started his new job. Anybody that was closer and looking for employees knew about his reputation and wouldn’t hire him. It pissed him off, because “his” reputation was mostly due to Merle fucking over everybody in town and them sharing the same last name. People would rarely take a chance on him because they already took one on his brother. And they regretted it. </p>
<p>Thankfully, two weeks ago, he met a guy at the local bar who needed help to boost his car after a night out drinking. They got talking a bit and the guy was so grateful he said he’d try to hook him up with a job. A week later, he called Daryl and asked him if he wanted to try working for him. Turns out he owned a cleaning company and needed a new guy to go around and clean. It wasn’t a glamorous job, but he hadn’t had a job in over a month and he really couldn’t afford to be picky. The job was mostly in public places, so at least Daryl could convince himself he was more a janitor than a maid. </p>
<p>The shop was a 45 minutes ride away, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by some fields on one side and abandoned buildings on the other. As he pulled in the parking lot, he saw a handful of trucks with “Richards’ cleaning services” written on them. At least he was in the right place. </p>
<p>He parked his old truck near the front door of the building and started making his way in. It was a bit early, but better be early than late, especially on his first day. The inside of the store was clearly not meant for the public. The front room was crammed with a line of lockers on one side and two old couches on the other, and one crowded table in the middle. A man in his 50s was in front of a locker, buttoning up some overall. He turned around when the door slammed shut.</p>
<p>“Hey Daryl! Glad you showed up, I really needed someone to help out”</p>
<p>“Hey man, no worries, you’re the one doing me a favor here.”</p>
<p>He walked up to him and shook his hand. The one time they met before,they both had a couple drinks in them but Daryl was happy to notice Richard still seemed like a decent guy without the help of alcohol. </p>
<p>“Give me a minute here and I’ll show you around, explain how we do things here.” his new boss said, turning back to his locker to presumably finish getting ready.</p>
<p>Daryl sat down for a few moments and waited in silence. He was never good at small talk and he hoped his new boss wouldn’t mind his lack of it. Even if he didn't like talking much, he'd gotten good at pretending to listen to people. He lived with Merle after all and he rarely stopped talking despite never having anything good to say. </p>
<p>Richard finally slammed shut his locker door and turned towards him.</p>
<p>“Ya ready for this?”</p>
<p>Daryl nodded, got up and followed his boss. He had a job to do. </p>
<p>____</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Daryl was currently driving to their last location of the day. Today, Richard was tagging along to show him how to do their job, but after that, he’d be on his own. The job was pretty easy. They drove from place to place, doing some cleaning, fixing stuff here and there, basically doing whatever the business that hired them wanted. And he had a detailed list of all the things to do, so he just had to follow that and he was good to go. </p>
<p>He parked the van in front of the library from the neighbouring city just as a red corolla pulled out. There was only one other car in the parking lot, and the building was pretty small. They should be able to finish pretty quickly, it clearly didn’t have a lot of people going in.</p>
<p>“This is a pretty old building. We normally go in twice a week, clean whatever needs to be cleaned, floors, bathroom, the usual. The old man working there asks us to do some other stuff sometimes, if it happens, note it down so we bill it to them. But that’s pretty much it.” Daryl’s boss explained to him.</p>
<p>Daryl hummed and got out of the van, grabbing his supplies. The library was in an old building at the end of a small commercial street, but it was well maintained. As soon as he got inside, he was hit with the smell of old books. Not something he was used to smelling, to be honest. Maybe one day he could pick up a book or two. It'd been ages since he read something. Merle normally figured out a way to damage anything he owned so he stopped buying things for himself a while ago. But this library looked pretty well stocked. It was something to keep in mind. </p>
<p>“Hey Pete” Richard greeted the older man as they got in. “This is Daryl, a new guy I just hired. He’ll be the one taking care of this place from now on. Just let him know if you need anything, yeah?”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Rich” he answered. “And welcome to our humble little establishment, Daryl. You new in town? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before” </p>
<p>“Live a couple towns over, is all. Don’t spend too much time in libraries either” Daryl mumbled quietly. He didn’t think he was supposed to speak loud in here anyways. </p>
<p>“Well, you’ll see there isn’t too much work around here. Since we got a part time worker a couple years back, we just need an extra hand here and there, but mostly just routine cleaning” the older man explained to him</p>
<p>“Just let me know if you need anything, that’s what we’re here for, Sir” Daryl answered, hoping to end the conversation. He wanted to get to work and go home. He hadn’t worked in a bit and was craving a nice meal and some well deserved sleep. It seemed to work as Richard started walking away and started explaining to Daryl what he had to do at this location. </p>
<p>It took them about 1h30 together to finish cleaning and pack up their stuff before finally heading back to the shop.</p>
<p>“You did great today, Daryl” said his boss as they parked in front of the shop. “Think you’ll be fine doing your rounds alone tomorrow?”</p>
<p>“Should be fine”</p>
<p>“Well then, I’ll let you get back home. You can take any free locker when you get in in the morning. You might see Joe or Louis around too, they’re my other guys. Let me know if you need anything, you got my cellphone number right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, got it. Thanks again for today. Really appreciate it'' he told him before turning around. 

</p><p>Daryl got in his own truck and started heading home with a smile on his face. Things were looking up.</p>
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